Music Video Deconstruction: Panic! At The Disco- 'That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed)'

Artist: Panic! At The Disco
Song: That Green Gentleman (Things Have Changed)
Album: Pretty. Odd.
Genre: Indie Rock/Folk Rock
Director: Alan Ferguson
Year: 2007
Audience: 16+
Country of Origin: USA

 

The opening shot of the music video introduces to the viewer a variety of objects, the central one being a Russian matryoshka doll. Some of the other objects include an elephant, a sea shell, a teddy bear and a bugle, all of which can be classified as 'odd' the name of the album and the first line of the song. The colours are quite subdued and dark, making the bright reds and greens of the doll stand out. Slowly the camera zooms into the doll. A young boy plays with them, taking them apart while the
doll's mouth the lyrics. The final doll is taken apart, revealing the band members who quickly climb out of the doll and run away. All the members wear equally dark clothing to fit with the rather depressing atmosphere, which is contrasted by                                                                                                                         the  upbeat nature of the song.

After running off the edge of the table, the musicians fall into this green world, a huge contrast to the previous setting. Strewn across the floor are various 'odd' instruments- an accordion, guitar to be played with a bow etc. A wide shot is used to establish the new setting and to show its 'goodness'. The line sung while falling is 'I never said I missed her when everybody kissed her. ' How this relates to the video I am unsure.
In this next shot, the band members fall apart to reveal themselves as children: who they were when they were small. Again, a wide shot is used to show the naturalistic setting, (corresponding to the new musical direction the band was taking) as well as entire band plus the children. This transformation is supported in the lyric sung at this time: "Things have changed for me, and that's okay…"

Here, the children version of the band have the fun they used to have, running around, jumping rope. Wide shots are continuously used to show the extent of the greenery. The lyrics surrounding this segment of film being 'I wanna go where everyone goes, I wanna know what everyone knows, I wanna go where everyone feels the same…' reflecting a child's typical attitude/look on life.

This shot shows the band when they are old, the final stage of life, once again 'changing'. All of them wear the clothes they wore in their first music video, 'I Write Sins Not Tragedies', signifying a different type  change, namely clinging to the past. No lyrics are sung at this point, purely instrumental, making the audience focus on the characters instead.



PANIC! AT THE DISCO- THAT GREEN GENTLEMAN (THINGS HAVE CHANGED) OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO

 
                                                                                                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                                                       
                                                                                                                                                                 

Music Video Deconstruction: The Blackout- 'Higher and Higher'

Artist: The Blackout
Song: Higher and Higher
Album: Hope
Genre: Indie Rock/Punk Rock
Director: Sitcom Soldiers
Year: 2011
Audience: 17+
Country of Origin: Wales/UK

The opening shot details the band putting the equipment away in a van, before they are locked in and kidnapped. There is no music playing, only  diegetic chatter between the band members, indicating camaraderie. The viewer is immediately informed of the genre of the music by the clothes of the musicians- they all wear black and on the right hand side we see a studded belt. Also, one of  the vocalists, Sean (middle, right) has bleached hair, and the kidnapper has very heavy eye-make up.These tend to be tell-tale trademarks of rock and/or punk. The camera shot is is an eye-level POV from the female kidnapper. As an audience, we never find out why the woman has kidnapped The Blackout, but from her facial expressions we     can gather that she finds it enjoyable.

                                                                                                                                         

    Unhindered by the fact that they have been kidnapped, the band to decide to play in the very well light van. A wide shot is used to show the entire band, and the small space they have to 'rock out' in. As they play the song and move, the camera moves with them, creating a similarly hectic atmosphere, much like that of a live concert. The dark colours to the musicians clothes strongly contrasts the lighted, wooden walls, making the space they are appear even more cramped. After realising that his band had been kidnapped, The Blackout's manager (gymnast and free runner Damien Walter) runs after the van hoping to catch them. In this fantastic shot, he is running through an underground walkway. The backlighting in this shot makes the setting appear gritty, which is helped the the tiled walls with graffiti scrawled on them.

I think this is a very artistic shot for a fairly low budget music video.This is an unusual shot of the rearview mirror, showing the kidnapper looking out for Damien Walter. As with the rest of the music video, it is in a very urban setting (Manchester) with subdued colours, the only 'bright' colour is from the lime green car in the foreground. Urban settings are usually typical/conventional of rock videos. This shot is a darker and colder than some of the previous examples. The camera is tilted upward, typically to make the musicians appear more powerful. It also makes excellent use of leading lines, pointing towards the band.
                                                                                             

  Not very subtle product placement: the van in which the band have been kidnapped/are performing in naturally advertises their new album 'HOPE' as well. There is some irony in this- the band have been abducted and Damien Walters is their only 'hope', who follows the van with 'HOPE' written on it. This boom shot again shows the audience that the setting of the video is in a urban area, which is further fortified by Damien Walter's wardrobe. In this final close up, the rest of the band are absent, with only the vocalists active and present.. The lyrics corresponding to the shot are 'burning like fire', represented by the lights in the background and Gavin pulling at his shirt, giving the audience a gratuitous shot of his upper chest tattoo. Again,
the leading lines make the viewer focus
on the vocalists.                                                    
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                                                         
 THE BLACKOUT- HIGHER AND HIGHER OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO                                                                                                                                                                

Music Video Deconstruction: Gotye- Easy Way Out

Artist: Gotye
Song: Easy Way Out
Album: Making Mirrors
Genre: Indie Rock
Director: Darcy Pendergast
Year: 2011
Audience: 18+
Country of Origin: Australia

The opening shot of a film or music video is possibly the most important shot as it establishes the atmosphere, characters and setting. From this shot, one can infer that the atmosphere is monotomous and rather unexciting. The character appears to be a young man living by himself (single bed) in a rather grey apartment. Interestingly, and perhaps not immediately noticeable, there are a variety of ‘dead’ object in the room- a trophy head, a withered plant and an empty birdcage. These would seem to suggest that the place the man is in not worth living in or for, or something equally sinister. A similar message could be drawn from the peeling wallpaper on the left side of the shot.

The second shot shows the man in kitchen eating breakfast- coffee or tea and a huge cigarette. Most people smoke cigarettes to relieve stress, so perhaps the character does so too. This would mean that he is under stress/strain.

          


The next shot shows the character at work, typing repetitively on a typewriter, the pile of paper to right getting higher and higher. Here one sees the continued colour scheme of blues and greys, generally depressing colours. The shelf behind him is virtually empty, indicating that the job he works is very pedestrian, and does not require much else. 

                                                     

The video consists of five settings (bedroom, kitchen, workplace, tram, bathroom) all leading round in a circle, going against the song title, ‘Easy Way Out.’ Progressively, things get worse and worse in each scene as seen above in the ‘work’ setting. From a brightly lit office, it turns into a dark, bloody hell, as papers begin to stack up. The other rooms become darker, grimier and more derelict each time the circle is repeated. Another example would be the tram/train sequence- each time, the small space becomes more and more packed with different people and the walls rapidly covered in graffiti. All the chaos was started by a single cigarette being misplaced on the kitchen table, suggesting that consequences in life are perhaps not forseen.

Easy Way Out Music Video:

Music Video Deconstruction: Marina and the Diamonds- 'Hollywood'

Artist: Marina and the Diamonds

Song: Hollywood
Album: The Family Jewels
Genre: Indie
Director: Kinga Burza
Year: 2009
Audience: 17+
Country of Origin: UK

The opening close-up shot shows Marina mouthing the words 'American dream is the American queen', making the viewer focus on the lips and the lyrics being spoken, giving insight in to content of the video. In this case, a satirical portrait of America. The frame cutting off below the eyes may signify the 'facelessness' of America,  focussing on instead on the artificial- the painted lips. These bright red lips could signify the 'beauty' of America. It also creates a strong contrast to the dark hair surrounding the face, making it the focal point of the viewers attention. The camera zooms out to concentrate on Marina's face and the large American flag cake with a single candle. This may personify how America is driven by consumerism and capitalism. Make-up has been used to create a sultry/seductive look thus enticing male viewers and furthering the theme of beauty and consumerism.


                                                                       

 Here, the shot is canted and a reflection of a woman, described in the lyrics as 'tall, tanned, hot, blond called Anya…', conforming to the American stereotypical woman, with a twist. I like how the problem of reflecting camera crew was 'solved' via the paparazzi. The 'Anya' actress has been styled reminiscent of Madonna and suggests a similar lifestyle, as seen by the paparazzi behind her.  The lines of the mirror going through the face of 'Anya' could suggest the cracks in superficiality and/or a split in personality, two facedness- this could be interpreted from the lyrics: 'Why do you wanna be a hollywood wife? 'Cause I don't wanna end up living in a dive on Vine, You'd do anything for a dime…'  Next, the camera focusses on the singer on a patriotic bed, dressed accordingly in the same colours: red, white and blue, with the addition of gold, perhaps symbolising wealth and capitalism. The blue brocade curtain in the background also supports this interpretation.

This shot reminds me of Sam Mendes' film American Beauty- rose petals featured heavily in the film. Here, instead of red, the petals are blue, maybe suggesting loneliness among beauty. Within the shot, the predominant colours are blue, creating a strong contrast between Marina's bright red lips and cheerleader shirt. The shot also breaks the fourth wall, the 'character' of the film is interacting with the viewer by blowing blue petals at their 'face', making the viewer feel involved.

In this wide shot, we are shown a variety of American stereotypes: cheerleader, jock, glamour model, politician (Barack Obama), call girl, all of which are clothed in the patriotic colours of the American flag. The lyrics being sung in this shot are: 'A fat security making place for me…', again mentioning something that American is known for- its airtight security. The purpose of this line with this shot is to show the viewer everything that we 'know' about America, it's reputation.                    

These two shots focus on what America is most famous for- it's popular culture. The Academy Awards (first shot) are the most broadcast/televised and prestigious events of the year, representing wealth, fame, honour, pride and narcissism- the golden statue. This shot exemplifies this further through the setting- ornate white and gold stucco decorates the walls and just above Marina's head hangs a massive chandelier. The shoes she wear's are also gold, again representing money, and the dress (silver and shiny) is one typically seen on the 'red carpet'. While clutching the award the lyrics say: 'I've been living in the movie scene (puking American dreams)' evoking the famous quote from F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby: 'Her voice is full of money.'  The last shot depicts Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley look-a-likes, furthering the concept of American iconography. It subtly shows the viewer everything they know about America, satirically juxtaposing the lyrics. This video generally. reminds me of The Great Gatsby,
with its warning of superficiality, consumerism and broken dreams

HOLLYWOOD- MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO: